Children’s Book Review: Super Saurus Saves Kindergarten

For parents of 5-year-olds about to head to Kindergarten, there’s no better way to prepare them than by reading books about first days of school. Super Saurus Saves Kindergarten tells the story of one young dino’s epic first day of school.

Arnold is a dinosaur with a big imagination who is nervous about his first day of Kindergarten. He is convinced that his teacher, Mr. Zachary, is an evil villain named Zorgo and prepares for his first day by filling his backpack with gadgetry so he can become “Super Saurus.” Throughout his first day of school, Super Saurus keeps trying to thwart Zorgo, but ends up discovering that Mr. Zachary’s class is a lot of fun to be in.

The book has a lot of fun with its subject matter, switching from traditional illustrations to comic-inspired pages when Arnold assumes his secret identity. Illustrator Ned Young’s dinosaurs are fun and appealing and his color sensibilities are create a welcoming, kid-friendly world.

The story by Deborah Underwood feels reminiscent of Jim Jinkin’s “Quail Man” from the Nickelodeon and Disney animated series, Doug. Like Doug Funny, Arnold’s overactive imagination helps him solve his problems through an original superhero alter ego.

If your kids love dinosaurs and super heroes, then they will love Arnold and his super hero persona in Super Saurus Saves Kindergarten. It’s the perfect way to help prepare your kids for the start of the new school year.

Alex Reif
Alex joined the Laughing Place team in 2014 and has been a lifelong Disney fan. His main beats for LP are Disney-branded movies, TV shows, books, music and toys. He recently became a member of the Television Critics Association (TCA).